Be it known that we, Dennis Brandon, a citizen of the United States, residing at 5114 Woodland Hills Drive, Brentwood, Tenn. 37027, Michael L. Mullins, a citizen of the United States, residing at 2708 Antiqua Circle, Thompson""s Station, Tenn. 37179, and Thomas G. Holder, a citizen of the United States, residing at 4231 Holder Road, Franklin, Tenn. 37067, have invented a new and useful xe2x80x9cElectric Solenoid with Adaptable Connectors and Mountings.xe2x80x9d
This invention relates generally to an electric solenoid for starting internal combustion engines, and more particularly to an electric solenoid with adaptable terminals and posts to connect to a variety of different electric connectors, and with a multiple-eared mounting plate permitting mounting of the solenoid in a variety of configurations.
The use of standard electric solenoids for starting internal combustion engines, such as in automobiles, trucks, lawn mowers, tractors, leaf blowers, and other outdoor or recreational power equipment, is well-known. The configuration of the electric solenoids used varies widely depending on the particular application. Variations include differences in the size and number of the posts and terminals on the solenoid, the method of connecting leads and wires to the posts and terminals, and the mounting configuration of the solenoid. These variations require suppliers and users of replacement solenoids to stock, maintain, and use a wide variety of different replacement solenoids. This results in higher costs and difficulty in maintaining adequate stock for suppliers, and in potential confusion and errors in purchasing and installing replacement solenoids by the user.
Thus, what is needed is an electric solenoid that can be adapted to replace a wide variety of existing solenoid configurations, reducing costs and complexity for suppliers and users of electric solenoids.
This invention is directed to an electric solenoid with adaptable terminals and posts to connect to a variety of different electric connectors, and with a mounting plate permitting mounting of the solenoid in several different configurations. The present invention is particularly described in connection with application as a starter solenoid for outdoor and recreational power equipment and vehicles, but may of course be used in any application where an electric solenoid is used.
Generally, a typical solenoid consists of a molded housing containing electric circuitry, a pair of fixed posts extending from the top of the housing, and an energizing terminal extending from the base (or mounting) flange of the housing. If the solenoid is externally grounded, a grounding terminal also may extend from the base flange of the housing. The bottom end of the housing is affixed to a mounting plate, which typically has outwardly-extending mounting ears for convenient bolting to the frame of the equipment or vehicle.
In one exemplary form, the present invention improves upon the above-described typical solenoid by replacing the fixed posts with a combination of an internally-threaded female post receptor, which is integrally molded into the solenoid casing, and a removable post stud, one end of which is threaded to screw into the female post receptor. The other end of the removable post stud is also threaded, and can be formed in a variety of different sizes to accommodate a variety of connectors as needed for a particular application.
In another exemplary form, the energizing terminal is modified so as to accommodate a variety of connector types, including eyelet leads, push-on connectors, and spade connectors. A ground terminal can also be added, likewise modified to accommodate the various types of connectors.
In another exemplary form, the mounting plate is modified to include multiple mounting ears so the solenoid can be mounted in several different locations. A single mounting plate thus can be used to attach a solenoid in either a bottom or back mount configuration, for example.
Thus, the invention in its various forms possesses several favorable characteristics relative to the basic fixed-post solenoids described above. A single solenoid with adaptable connectors and mountings can replace several different solenoids with fixed posts and single location mounts by accommodating different connectors and mounting configurations, thus reducing confusion, inventory requirements, and costs.
Still other advantages of various embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described exemplary embodiments of this invention simply for the purposes of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different aspects and embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the advantages, drawings, and descriptions are illustrative in nature and not restrictive in nature.